China is well known for being one of the leaders in developmental countries. China has repeatedly proven to be one of the frontrunners in developing and researching medicine, technology, science, art and many other industries that most major societies rely on today. The interesting thing about China is that it has been that way throughout history.

China in the Middle Ages was viewed as a country that had a much better standard of living than many of the other leading countries. The reason that China has been able to continue building on its standard of living since the Middle Ages is because it simply avoids many of the major items that wreak havoc on a country such as war, governmental changes, and the division of state.

Religion in China in the Middle Ages

China in the Middle Ages was ahead of its time when it came to religion. Most leading countries had a single religion that was used throughout their country, and some even went to war over the division of religion. China saw three major religions that made up their society. Buddhism, Confucianism, & Taoism were the leading religions in China in the Middle Ages. Buddhism was a fairly new development in China in the Middle ages. The majority of Buddhists belonged to India, and this is actually where China’s Buddhist roots came from.

This Indian influence was established in China via the trade route called the Silk Road. The Buddhist presence in China created inspiration for the development of new literature and philosophies surrounding the Buddhist religion in China. While Buddhism was just gaining popularity in China during the Middle Ages it could definitely be considered one of the most influential religions of the time period.

Taoism actually was not considered to be an organized religion until the Middle Ages in China. Taoism was considered to be more of a philosophy or a way that a person chose to live their life and was not really considered a religion until it was established as one in China in the Middle Ages. Confucianism was one of the more popular religions in China at the beginning of the Middle Ages. It is the religious following of the philosophy of Confucius.

Confucianism is the basic belief that humans can be perfected through training, education, and personal experience. It is more of a personal development type of religion and does not really guide you to try and perfect other people. It was extremely popular in China in the Middle Ages, and actually saw the philosophies carved into stone during the early part of the Middle Ages.

Development and Creations in China in the Middle Ages

China has always been considered to be one of the more advanced countries, and the reason that they are considered that way is because they simply led the way in the development of many of the products that we use today. An excellent example of this is paper money. While some countries have stuck with coin currency, China created paper currency during the Middle Ages, and was the first country to use it. This was a huge development for it provided a lower cost alternative for printing money and that is why the majority of the countries still use paper currency today.

Until the Middle Ages in China it was incredibly difficult to develop books in any type of mass production and to make an easy to distribute package. The papermaking capabilities that China established during the Song dynasty finally created a way to produce books that could be more easily transported.

Many of the developments with paper were extremely helpful, and almost all of them are still in use today, but China also had many additions to the mathematics and science world as well. One of the issues that kids struggle with the most growing up in school is learning their fractions. They have China to thank for that. China establish the fraction during the Song dynasty, and has created trouble for people learning math ever since.

Hunters and fishermen can thank China for their establishment of the lunar calendar during the Middle Ages. Thanks to this precise measurement of the phases of the moon both hunters and fisherman have a little cheat sheet for when the best time will be to go out and conduct their sport. There are many other additions that were established in China during the Middle Ages, and the majority of them of changed the course of society as a whole forever.

King Khan

It seems that throughout history every major country has had at least one leader that has tried to take over as much of the world as possible, and China’s would be King Khan. King Khan, also known as Genghis Khan, was the first leader in China to make a concentrated effort in trying to establish a great deal more land. King Khan made his way across Europe collecting countries like Russia, China, and Baghdad. Most of the efforts of King Khan are what created what is known as China today. He was the first line in rulers of the Yuan dynasty.

King Khan collected a lot of land throughout his time in power, but he really wanted to establish a stable country that could thrive. Once he was settled with the land that he had acquired he re-opened the trade lines of the Silk Road and promised safe transport to any traders.

Unfortunately, these trading routes become a highway for transporting the plague in later years. A great deal of people are wiped out during the plague and due to the Silk Road the effects of the plague are extended quickly. Due to the plague and other tough issues that appear throughout China there is a battle for leadership and an end to the Yuan dynasty.

Ming Dynasty

The Ming dynasty is like a breath of fresh air into China at the close of the Middle Ages. After so much disaster the Ming dynasty works to build China back to its true form. It repairs the Great Wall, and begins construction on the Imperial Palace. The Ming dynasty also saw a return of the focus back to art and development in order to establish China at the top once again.